Camp Days
by Ashura2
Summary: About Usagi's struggles as Sailor Moon, and also her love and hate with Mamoru - in camp!
1. Camp Days, Chapter 1

Title: Camp Days - Chapter 1  
  
Rating: G, duh. This stinks.   
  
Hiya minna! My name's Ashura, this is my first fanfic, so don't kill me... Please! But E-MAIL ME! My e-mail is JesseJames024@aol.com or AshuraRose@ffonline.zzn.com. I don't feel like writing a long intro...   
  
I hope you enjoy the story!   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, but dammit I wish I did. ^_^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Confucius." She let the pencil slide from finger to finger, watching the glimmer of the bright, unyielding flourescent lights beam off of the yellow paint. Her other hand was resting on her thigh, trembling with anticipation. "A great philosopher, indeed. Who knows what he based his teachings on?" She could hear a student's voice from somewhere near the back of the classroom. Her attention was not drawn from her task.   
  
"Very good, Ami. Society. *Blech*. Society is such an over-used word. What does it really mean?"  
  
No answer from anywhere in the room. The girl didn't take notice of it, but continued to move her hand under her desk. It moved with agonizing slowness, and she cursed her inability to reach her hand's destination quickly.  
  
"'I blame society!' More than one crazed killer has stated this in answer to his meaningless actions. It's a worthless phrase now; it's extremely cliche. Confucius believed that everything had a proper place and time in society. There were relationships in this world, and in every world. Each relationship had a dominant being, if you will. Husband over wife, parents over children, priests over peasants. And if everything was in its proper place, the world would be at peace."  
  
There was a pause. The man who was speaking suddenly redirected his attention to the girl, his eyes alive with curiosity... and anger. She quickly withdrew her hands from under the desk, maintaining eye contact.  
  
*I'm not afraid of you. Bring it on.*  
  
The man cleared his throat and continued to talk. "His teachings resisted change. No change at all. Now, my question is, do you agree with his beliefs? If not, why? If so, why? Would we be where we are today if we followed Confucius?"  
  
She felt the hand of another student raise behind her. She let her own hands regain their original position under her desk, reaching farther and farther down, until they delved into her bag. A devilish grin spread across her face as she felt around the inside, her hands happily searching for what they had come for.   
  
Moments later, she found it. The cool feel of plastic on her fingertips made her sigh with relief.  
  
Big mistake.  
  
"TSUKINO USAGI!!!"  
  
That little breath had cost her her mid-day snack. She reeled back in her chair, odangos flying, as the contents of her bag spewed everywhere. This included her precious package of home-made brownies, the prize she had been so intent on winning.  
  
Laughter filled the air as her chair slowly tilted backwards and sent her to the ground. She landed squarely on her rear end and moaned in protest to the sudden pain in her tailbone and spine. She quickly scrambled to her feet, grabbing the saran-wrapped brownies and stuffing them into her bag as quickly as she could. This method, however, failed to work. The professor strided over to to young girl and ripped the bag of brownies out of her trembling hands.   
  
He looked down at the succulent treat and grinned at the distraught girl. Her face was twisted into an embarassed expresiion, her aqua blue eyes threatening to fill with tears. Her golden hair, done back in the usual attractive odangos, flowed to the ground like glimmering silk. She had a slim body, undoubtedley the desire of every boy in the high school.   
  
To tell you the truth, she didn't feel all that beautiful or desired at the moment. Blood was rushing forth quickly to her cheeks, and she was afraid that each student in the class would hear her heart beat if it got any louder. She put on her best artificial smile and beared the humiliation.  
  
"Do you care to explain to me why you are eating brownies at eight-thirty in the morning, in *my* class, no less?" the professor asked calmly, as if he were asking the capital of Uzbekistan. Where the hell was Uzbekistan, anyway?   
  
She shifted in her school shoes, her uniform askew in an uncomfortable way. Tugging at her bow and trying to look as innocent as possible, Usagi replied. "Ummmm... Actually, Mr. Hamasaki, I was... I was..."  
  
Her stammering was not helping the problem, she knew that. She threw a glance at Ami, who was blushing almost as much as Usagi was. Usagi almost sighed out loud. Ami was never a help; the girl just always continued to bury her nose in the textbook and act like she wasn't in trouble. ...Well, she *wasn't*, but that wasn't the point!! Friends are friends, right?  
  
"Do you care to discontinue staring at Miss Mizuno and give me an explanation?" Mr. Hamasaki asked impatiently. God, what trouble freshmen could be! He reminded himself that he utterly hated kids and looked at Usagi like she had just stolen the money from his wallet.  
  
*Dammit, why is he looking at me like that?!* She looked down at the brownies, back at the teacher, then Ami... Then the brownies... Then the brownies... She could feel the drool forming in her mouth, reminding her of the absence of a morning meal in her bare stomach. It wasn't her fault! Her little brother had eaten all of the most delicious breakfast treats in the entire world... Chocolate chip pancakes. Her mom only made them once in a blue moon, and she was usually up early (yes, believe it or not, five minutes EARLY!) to get first dibs. And it also *wasn't* her fault that Luna had woken her up ten minutes *late*! By the time she had reached the bottom of the stairs, the sounds of Shingo eating overzealously just to annoy her were heard. She had attempted to strangle her little brother, made futile by her mother's intervention.   
  
And so here she was, in the middle of her first period Social Studies class, being nailed to a cross and beaten. She sweatdropped and looked at her brownies, deciding there was only one thing to do.  
  
"Mr. Hamasaki, I brought the class a treat today," she said without emotion. Her insides were screaming for a bit of the chocolate paradise, made so graciously my Makato in the early morning hours.   
  
"Really? Well, then, why don't you pass them out?" the teacher asked, knowing perfectly well how this would make Usagi, the most habitual muncher in the world, write with anger. *All teachers are evil... They're the product of the Negaverse...* she thought dully, grabbing the brownies from him in a less-than-respectful manner. With great agony, she made her way around the classroom, passing each beautiful piece of sugar and baked bread to a classmate. Most students were looking particularly smug, while Ami was throwing apologizing looks at Usagi. Usagi turned the cold shoulder to her, trying to make her suffer for what she had done. Ami *had* done this, hadn't she?  
  
The bell rang. The students got up from their desks, munching on their brownie surprises gleefully. Usagi gave each of them the dirtiest look she thought possible.   
  
*Okay, I'll just walk out and find Ami. We'll sort this all out... AFTER I KILL HER.* She started to march off towards the door, anticipating a good time to let her vocal chords to some damage.   
  
"Miss Tsukino, may I see you for a moment?"  
  
*Oh no...* Usagi turned slowly around, anger starting to rise in her again. What did he want? He had already publicly embarrassed her and taken away her only joy at nine in the morning... What more damage did he want to do?!  
  
Mr. Hamasaki, tall and well-built, was leaning against a desk, adjusting his glasses. He looked up at Usagi. "I want to talk about your grades," he said in a calm manner.  
  
Usagi felt a huge weight suddenly place itself on her shoulders. They sagged, and the life disappeared from her eyes. This is just what she needed, on a bright Monday afternoon, the last day before the spring break. It was destined to happen. Her bad days always seemed to turn worse at the last possible moment.  
  
"They really haven't been quite up to par lately. I think it would do you good to do a little extra work over the holiday," the professor told her, shuffling through some papers absentmindedly.  
  
*How much is 'a little extra'?* she thought, her insides squirming. She could just imagine what Ami was doing right now... Probably running from her life, blessing the day that Usagi got a bad mark on her History paper.  
  
"You might want to come and study with a group of friends, and I'm assigning you an extra paper so you can keep up with your studies. In fact, you could come to school a couple days and I could help you and give you some work," he said in an official tone, knowing that this would crush Usagi.  
  
He didn't just crush her. He stuck her under a fifty-ton block of cement with ten elephants dancing to the jitterbug on top.   
  
"But, Mr. Hamasaki, it's *spring vacation*! It's vacation. V-a-c-a-s-h-u-n. Time off from school!"  
  
Mr. Hamasaki rolled his eyes. "Vaction. V-a-c-a-t-i-o-n, Miss Tsukino. How *did* you ever make it through grade school?"  
  
Ouch. That one stung. Usagi's cheeks turned a rasberry red, and she fumbled for words. Any words that would heal the pain of not being perfect.  
  
"Um... Well..."  
  
He put a hand up. "You should work over the holiday, that's my final point."  
  
If possible, Usagi's facial expression turned even more sorrowful. Couldn't he see that she was in pain? She had to think of something that would get her out of this. Vacation was a rest for her mind, and most importantly, her soul. She needed just a couple days without being told, 'Usagi, don't you ever get it?! How can your grades be this bad?!'  
  
'Odango Atama, how stupid can you get?'  
  
And that one always stung the most for some reason.   
  
"But, sir, she can't work over the holidays!"  
  
Usagi thought she heard a voice in the back of her head. Did she just really say that out loud? But wait, that wasn't her voice...  
  
"And why can't she, Miss Mizuno?" The forlorn girl whirled around to see Ami standing there, her small body quivering a little from addressing a teacher directly about something that didn't concern her.  
  
*Yey! Mizuno Ami, you save my butt again! This should be the way it always is!* Usagi almost yelled out loud. But wait... What did this girl have in mind?  
  
"Because she's going to a camp over the holidays. She's leaving late tonight and won't get back until late the night of the last day of break," Ami said quickly, smiling the best she could.  
  
*CAMP?!*  
  
Mr. Hamasaki pursed his lips. "A camp? What kind of camp?"  
  
"Oh, a regular camp, including outdoor and aquatic sports and activities. It's quite fun, actually, and builds valuable skills," Ami said, almost if she was reading the brochure directly to him.  
  
*CAMP?!*  
  
"Well... Could she do some assignments in her free time?" Mr. Hamasaki asked Ami, not fully trusting her.  
  
"NO! I mean, no, sir, it is an extremely vigorous schedule that hardly gives us all time to breath. Besides, you wouldn't want to interfere with her skill-building, would you?"  
  
Mr. Hamasaki opened his mouth, intent on contradicting her, when Ami grabbed Usagi by the arm and pulled her towards the doorway. "I'm so glad that we all see eye to eye! Have a nice spring break, Mr. Hamasaki!" she yelled as she shut the door.  
  
And Mr. Hamasaki was left there, brownie in hand, wondering what the hell he was thinking when he became a teacher.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Pain. Extreme, severe, prolonged pain."  
  
"I swear, Usagi-chan, I was only thinking of you!"  
  
"Sure. SURE. Can I trust ANYONE anymore?!" "Me! Usagi, me!"  
  
"Don't start with me, Ami-chan."  
  
It was lunch time, and there was only one place you could find Tsukino Usagi at this time.  
  
The cafeteria, duh. Where else? Was that even a difficult question?! Well, actually, she WAS there, now she was out in the park for her lunch break.   
  
Anyone could find her in her usual place, sitting amongst her four best friends, with an array of delicious food. This food was usually whipped up by Mrs. Tsukino herself, but she had been too busy yelling at Usagi this morning to make her a lunch. Makoto had been so generous as to let her friend "borrow" half of her lunch.   
  
Usagi's eyes appeared from behind a rather large hoagie, giving Ami a menacing glare. "I am *not* going to camp over spring break. And do you know *why* that is, Ami-chan?"  
  
Ami blushed and looked down at her peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. "Usagi-chan, it was the only think I could think of at the moment. I just wanted to help you, you know that..."  
  
"Do you know WHY that is, AMI?!" Usagi repeated, gripping her lunch so hard that the mayonnaise was slowly being squeezed out from between the bread.   
  
Ami sighed and placed her sandwich down on the napkin. "Yes, I know, Usa."  
  
"Number ONE, I have plans to go to the beach TWO DAYS IN A ROW with that new hot guy I met at the mall! TWO DAYS! Number TWO, spring break is so short now that I hardly get any vegging days! Number THREE, what in GOD'S NAME made you decide that I had a fondness for nature?!"  
  
"You know she's right, Ami-chan," an attractive ebony-haired girl said between slurps of her juice box. She swiveled her head to stare at Usagi. "We all know how Meatball Brains can't tell the difference between a tree and a deer."  
  
"I resent that comment, Pyro!" Usagi almost screamed at Rei.  
  
"You resent almost everything I say, Usa, because it's all TRUE," Rei snapped, setting her juice box back down on the picnic table.   
  
"Guys, stop it," Makoto said in a firm voice, opening a tupperware container to sniff what the contents were. She closed her eyes as a look of pleasure spead across her face and leaned back in her chair, her chesnut brown hair falling back. "Ahhh... The smell of marinated chicken..."  
  
"I think you should go, Usagi-chan," the blonde sitting across from Rei said. "You would have fun. Plus, there are older boy COUNSELORS there..."  
  
"Is that all you ever think about, Mina-chan?" Rei asked indignantly.  
  
"Yes," both Minako and Makoto answered.  
  
"Could we please get back to the situation at hand?" Usagi puffed out like a blowfish. "Ami's long and tortured death!"  
  
Ami cowered back. "Please, Usagi-chan, don't hurt me. I think it will be fun. I called the camp during study, and they said they would be more than happy to sign you up. And I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind."  
  
"Of course my parents wouldn't mind!!! They're going to dance on the kitchen table with my brother when I leave for a whole week!"  
  
"I'm going to the camp, too," Makoto said in between bites of her chicken. "It's really fun. They work you hard, but it's all worth it in the end. You literally have abs of steel."  
  
"I'll settle for abs of wood, thank you," Usagi moaned, letting her head slide down to rest against the table. "Usa, get your head OFF of the picnic table. Toilet seats are probably cleaner," Rei demanded in a motherly tone.  
  
"Pleeeease," Makoto and Ami pleaded together, trying to pull the puppy-dog look.  
  
Usagi crossed her arms. "No. It's humid, and dirty, and disgusting, and buggy, and all that sort of crap. No way. There's no television, or microwave oven, or couch..."  
  
"For goodness sake, Meatball Head, just go! You'll get out of a ton of homework if you do, have a chance to meet a new hot guy, AND, I promise I will go if you do." Rei shoved the last bit of mashed potato into her mouth and set down her fork.  
  
Usagi's eyes grew larger. "You would do that for me, Rei?"  
  
"No. My parents signed me up, I have to go."  
  
"Then why did you just say..."  
  
"Because I want you to shut your trap and stop whining. Now give me some of your potato chips," Rei quickly added, reaching over and grabbing the bag of chips from the miserable school student.  
  
Usagi looked like she had just been personally violated. "I can't believe you would say something like that!" She bent her head, forgetting all about the potato chips missing from her hand. It appeared as though Usagi was thinking.  
  
After a couple minutes, Minako stuck her hand in front of Usagi's bowed head. "Usagi-chan! I'll come!" she exclaimed, waving her manicured nails around. Usagi looked up, her expression slowly brightening.  
  
"But Mina, you hate this kinda stuff just as much as I do..." she muttered.  
  
"Yeah, but why not go? We'll grin and bear it together," Minako said, some pieces of popcorn flying everywhere from her mouth.  
  
"Say it, don't spray it," Rei blurted, wiping some saliva and crumbs from her school uniform. It was different from the other girls' uniforms, mostly because she went to another private school across town. 'The school for people who are brats, but can still get into college anyway because they're LOADED,' Usagi had sometimes referred to it.  
  
"Sooooo... Ami, you're coming, and so is Makoto, and Minako... And I don't really care about Pyro, but she's coming, too..." Usagi started to count on her fingers, looking at each one of them as she did.  
  
Rei almost threw herself on top of the table, grabbing Usagi's fingers. "Stupid! We're all coming!"  
  
Minako and Makoto broke out into laughter as Usagi furrowed her eyebrows and scrunched her little face up. "All right, I'm coming, just to kick YOUR SORRY ASS at whatever you do there!"  
  
Rei laughed so hard she snorted. Gripping the table for support, she ducked as Usagi made a grab for her hair. "Right, Meatballs, you can't walk three steps without falling!"  
  
That was it. Usagi grabbed two carrotsticks, dipped them into a large glop of ranch dressing, and hurled them both at Rei's head. Rei stopped laughing long enough to make a quick escape under the table. The carrots went flying behind her, in slow motion it seemed.  
  
*GLOMP* Right onto the back of an extremely ugly green jacket.  
  
*Ohhhh hoooooooly shit...* Usagi thought, her mouth dropping.  
  
The other Senshi, as would be expected, squealed and retreated to the protection of the picnic table. Usagi froze in her place as the man with the really *horrible* green sports jacket slowly stood up.  
  
"Odango, what the hell did you just throw at me? Getting tired of crumpled up tests?"  
  
Usagi flinched a little. "Oh, sorry, I was just aiming for the nearest trashcan."  
  
*Muwahaha, that was a good one,* Usagi thought to herself.  
  
The man turned around, his fluffy ebony hair blowing a little in the spring breeze. He stood, tall and proud, with little emotion etched into his face. His dark eyes betrayed any emotion he felt.  
  
"Do I smell ranch dressing?" he asked, his voice smooth and somewhat deep. He had been sitting alone at the nearest picnic table, minding his own business...  
  
"I don't know, when did you last take a shower?" Usagi sneered, gathering the rest of her lunch, which turned out to be nothing, she noticed with dismay.  
  
"Ouch, a little peeved today, are we?" he said, the corners of his mouth turning up. He slowly walked over towards the quintet's table.  
  
"Oh, no, Chiba Mamoru, seeing you has totally made my day," Usagi retorted, rolling her eyes.  
  
"I know. Thank me later," Mamoru quipped, starting to walk away. He had better things to do... At least he thought he did. Didn't he? Of course he did. He *always* had better things to do than fight with Odango Atama. Like, uh, writing term papers... Cleaning his apartment...  
  
"Have a nice spring break, hope you find it as boring as your everyday life!" Usagi yelled to his retreating back.  
  
His response was a unconcerned wave with his hand as he disappeared among the crowd of people. Usagi snorted, her ears as red as her face. Damn him. Damn everything that the lonely man did. Damn him for making her day worse.  
  
"Wow... That was heated. You hardly wasted any conversation time," Minako squeaked from under the table.  
  
Usagi didn't look down and crossed her arms. "All right, I'll go with you to that stupid camp. Possibly just to get away from Chiba Mamoru."  
  
*And to get away from my problems... To hopefully get away from Sailor Moon...*  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Today just plain sucked.  
  
He delved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, trying to withstand the fury that was slowly escaping him. Why did life have to be so harsh... And *boring*?   
  
*Well, there's nothing boring about Odango Atama, that's for certain...*  
  
They fought all the time. Every time they met. Whether it was in the park, at the store, at the arcade, even in the food court at the mall... They always found something to quip about. And he absolutely loathed her. He loathed her bright personality, her kindness, her silky golden hair, her love for life... He hated it all. Why couldn't he have that happiness? And dammit, she was just plain annoying.  
  
Mamoru turned the corner, walking towards his apartment building. At least he had this week to look forward to. Ever since he was eight, he had been going to this camp. Now he was older and a counselor, but he had enjoyed it just as much. He had always worked his butt off to pay for it as a child, and now that he was an adult, he was actually getting PAID for a week of non-lonliness. Sure, he excluded himself from most extra activities and hardly talked to the other counselors, but at least he was with other people.  
  
And he wouldn't have that wretched pull on his heart! No more Tuxedo Mask for an entire week! No worrying about Sailor Moon, although he rather liked that part. No more battles, no more sleepless nights... It was peaceful.  
  
Peaceful... He could actually run away from his problems.   
  
Rose petals lined the sidewalk where he walked as he closed the door and strided into the lobby of the building. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
That's the first part!!! E-MAIL ME! No flames pul-lease. Ja ne! Luv luv!  
  
Ashura ^_^ 


	2. Camp Days, Chapter 2

Camp Days - Chapter Two  
  
Rating: PG-13 for language and a tad of gore. That's it, I swear!!  
  
Heylo out there! Hope everyone is doing well. Thanks to a lot   
of people who responded to my first part, I'm gonna write a second.   
Well, I was gonna write a second anyway, so there.   
  
E-MAIL ME, PLEASE. I LIVE ON THEM. JesseJames024@aol.com   
OR AshuraRose@ffonline.zzn.com (preferred). E-mail me if you want to   
critisize, praise, or just tell me about what your dog Fluffy did   
yesterday.   
  
A special "hi" to Shin, Em and Jules! Thanks for reading my first   
fic.... Even though Shin doesn't know Sailor Moon from Pikachu, but eh,   
what the heck...  
  
Thanks everyone! Oh yeah, big clear up..... Rei does NOT like   
Mamo-chan. No love there, sorry... It's author's liscense, baby. Oh,   
and yes, Mamo-chan DID clean off the ranch dressing on his jacket. He  
is so magical that it just disappeared. It's not my fault I forgot to  
have him clean it off. He can do it himself, okay?! He's a big boy!  
  
Dislaimer: No own Sailor Moon. I like cheese.  
  
*...* OR - designates thoughts and italics  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 2  
  
*Thump. Thump. Thump.*  
  
"I'm too sexy for this shirt, too sexy for my shoes, too sexy   
for the dry cleaning..."  
  
*Thump. Thump. Thump.*  
  
"Da da duh... I'm too sexy... I'm too sexy!"  
  
*Thump. Thump. Thump.*  
  
"Hell, I'm too sexy for this bus and this WORLD!"  
  
"Minako-chan, that is *not* how the song goes."  
  
"Makoto, haven't you heard of artistic liscense?"  
  
"Uh... I don't think that pertains to songs..."  
  
*Thump. Thump. THUMP.*  
  
"USA, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"  
  
A hand extended over Ami's head to grab an odango which belonged   
to a head that was presently thumping repeatedly against the window.   
Usagi howled in pain, reaching up to scratch Rei's offending hand.   
Rei answered with a shriek and a bop on Usagi's head.  
  
"You stupid! What was that for?" Usagi groaned, readjusting   
the bun.   
  
"Stop thumping your thick head against the window!" Rei screeched,   
pulling a large blanket back over her body. The five girls were seated   
at the back of the bus, all trying to occupy themselves to pass the time.   
Earlier, Ami had persuaded Usagi's mom (it didn't take much...) to let   
Usagi come to camp with her. Of course, Mrs. Tsukino readily accepted   
and even packed Usagi's bags herself. Shingo, Usagi's little brother,   
danced around the house in his pajamas while flinging his older sister's   
stuffed animals around.  
  
It was now around eleven at night, and the bus packed with dozens   
of noisy teenagers and children was still on its way. To Usagi's dismay,   
it had been raining since six o'clock. Raindrops splattered against   
the window as she placed her forehead against the cool glass once more.  
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"No, Usa, and if you ask once more, I'll sign you up for an   
extra week at the camp," Ami grunted, scrunching her nose up. Cards   
were laid out in front of her, and she gazed with intense concentration   
down at the piles.  
  
Minako, taking off her headphones, leaned over and inspected the   
game of solitare Ami was playing. "I still don't understand this game.   
Why the hell would you want to play by yourself? You can't win anything.   
And it's boring. Only YOU know what move YOU are going to play next."  
  
"Minako-chan, will you just listen to your headphones? If you   
care too much it'll make your brain hurt," Rei murmered, closing her   
eyes and attempting to get back to sleep.  
  
"Maybe I will," the blonde whispered, pouting at her friend.   
  
Makoto, who was seated between Rei and Ami, laughed. "Don't   
worry about ol' crank-pot over there, Mina. She's just jealous she's   
not having as much fun as we are."  
  
Rei slowly opened one eye. "What fun would that be? Listening   
to Minako-chan's dreadful wailing?" She closed her eye again, sighing   
as she tried to get back to sleep before Usagi started to whine again.  
  
"So how far away is this place? And, uh, there's one more   
question..." Usagi whispered, taking her head off of the window. She   
had been pondering this the entire time her mother was packing for her.   
And while she was eating some brownies. What? She needed her thinking   
food.  
  
"Only another hour or two, keep a hold on," Ami murmered, placing   
two cards on top of the nearest pile. "What's the other question?"  
  
Usagi gulped. The other question lingered on the tip of her   
tongue, but couldn't quite make it out of her mouth. It was about...   
Sailor Moon. Usagi was finally free of her for one whole week. Or was   
she? And what about Tuxedo Mask? Would he need her help?   
  
"What about..." Usagi took her voice down to a whisper.   
"...Sailor Moon?"  
  
Ami's hand, holding a card, stopped in midair. Makoto drew a   
sharp breath and leaned over Rei to make eye contact with Usagi. Minako   
dropped her CD player. Rei was asleep.  
  
"Usa... What got you thinking about Sailor Moon?" Ami asked   
softly, trying to ignore the rowdy kids in the seat in front of her.   
  
Usagi's eyes darted to and from each Senshi, trying to convey   
her anxiety. "I don't know, to tell you the truth. I know it's been   
a long time since we were in Senshi form..."  
  
"Yeah, so what's to worry about? Eat, drink, relax! Take a   
vacation, babe," Minako burst out in song, taking a quick swig of her   
juice box.   
  
Makoto sweatdropped. "Yeah, Usa, I don't think you need to be   
worried about the Senshi... I mean, Luna isn't even worried. She didn't   
say a word when you went off to camp. It's usually, 'Usagi! You shouldn't   
be going on a stupid camp trip! You should be... Training! That's it,   
training! You never know when we might need Sailor Moon again.'" Makoto   
imitated Luna's voice a little too well.  
  
Ami clasped her hands together and pursed her lips, giving Usagi   
the usual motherly look. Usagi groaned and leaned back, slowly closing   
her eyes. The fact was, she really didn't want Sailor Moon back in her  
life. She wanted to be a normal teenager. She didn't want anymore   
pain, just the ability to go hang out with her friends, go out on dates,   
and go to school. YES, even go to school. And she didn't want the   
Negaverse. She didn't want youmas. She didn't want Tuxedo Mask. All   
right, maybe she wanted Tuxedo Mask. He was the only perk about being   
a superhero. His good looks, the way he *always* saved her when she   
was in peril, and his mystery.   
  
Sighing, Usagi turned away from the others. Sometimes, she   
wanted so badly to just uncover that mystery. Behind that strong mask   
lay a small child... She could see it. He couldn't hide it. No matter   
how many times he tried to act so strong and so dashing, he always   
revealed how damn weak he was. He really was. He just couldn't be weak   
for her...  
  
"USAGI!"  
  
Some cards flew everywhere as Usagi jumped sky high. Ami groaned,   
bending down to pick up the scattered playing cards. A couple nine-year-olds   
in front of them grabbed the ones that were laying on the floor, but   
Makoto made a mean face and they immediately gave up their new treasure.   
  
"Usagi, I don't want you worrying about Sailor Moon," Ami finally   
stated, leaning back in her seat.  
  
"Especially this week. Why would she appear when she's been   
dormant for so long?" Makoto pointed out.  
  
*But you don't understand...*  
  
"Yeah, just take some time off for once, Usa," Minako interrupted   
Usagi's inner protests, handing her a candy cane.   
  
Usagi took it, holding the treat up in the air to inspect it.   
She raised an eyebrow and stared at Minako. "When is this from?"  
  
Minako shrugged. "Last Christmas."  
  
The other three girls shrieked as the candy cane went flying   
three seats in front of them (to the delight of two five year olds.)   
  
"EW! Mina, that's disgusting!" Usagi exclaimed. Nodding   
vigorously, Makoto reached out and pounded Minako on the top of her   
blonde head.  
  
"That's almost six months old!"   
  
Again, Minako shrugged, acting like her usually Minako-self.   
"It's all good."  
  
"No, it's NOT all good when you get some form of bacterial infection   
from an aged candy cane!" Ami squealed, reaching into her purse to   
pull out some hand sanitizer. Usagi and Makoto willingly put out their   
hands so Ami could squirt some gel into them.  
  
Minako remained perplexed. "You guys... It's still tasty."   
Her eyes began to water as she saw a little girl rip open the plastic   
covering and start to devour the treat.   
  
The Senshi that were awake slowly quieted down, starting to   
feel fatigue pulling at their eyelids. Usagi yawned and rolled over   
in her seat, pulling at some of Rei's covers. Rei snorted unconsciously   
and tried to pull the moth-eaten wool blanket back, but Usagi held   
firm on her piece.  
  
Sighing, Usagi tried to close her eyes and catch up on her beauty   
sleep. The night sky outside was thick with blurry rain and dark   
clouds, and drops were still splattering viciously against the windowpane.   
  
*Ahhhh... Seven Mamoru-free days...**  
  
And then she felt it. Searing pain, spreading downward from   
her right shoulder to the tip of her finger. It felt like her hand had   
been set on fire, only to be put out with acid, not water. Her lips   
let out a piercing scream, one that resonated all the way to the front   
of the bus, even above the noise of the children.  
  
And each person on that bus froze. Not one child or teenager   
moved. The silence and tension was so thick it was almost palpable.   
Slowly, each passenger turned his or her head to stare back at the source   
of the sound.  
  
Usagi was writhing in pain. Rei had quickly awoken and grabbed   
the unaffected arm of her best friend, trying to calm her down. But Usagi   
would not stop.  
  
How could she? Her arm was no longer there. Only extreme pain.   
It singed the ends of her nerves, and it got worse every second. Usagi   
threw herself off of the seat and into the aisle, hoping to get out   
into the cool, refreshing rain and stop the burning. Stop... the burning...   
It hurt so much...  
  
And she slowly slipped into the cool, refreshing darkness.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The wipers swished from side to side, side to side. Water   
slid down the windshield in thick sheets, blurring his view of the   
outside world. All he could see were the tailights of the bus in front   
of him. And he had to make sure that *was* all he could see.  
  
*I hate Monday night traffic. I hate driving. I hate rain.*   
  
And he really did. All Mamoru wanted right now was to lie down  
on an incredibly soft bed and go to SLEEP. That was it. His eyes were  
trained to follow the lights of the camp bus that was leading the way to  
his home for the next week or so. All his motions were mechanical.   
  
"No more Tuxedo Mask..." he spoke aloud, trying to keep his sanity.  
If he fell asleep at the wheel, he could never forgive himself. What   
if he drove right through that bus of kids?  
  
"So, Mamo, no more Tuxedo Mask. I guess that means no more Sailor   
Moon. That's a relief. I don't have to save her ass anymore."  
  
*Ack, but you know you're going to miss her.* his subconscious  
told him.  
  
"And I am NOT going to miss that girl. She always seems to get  
me into more trouble."  
  
*But she's beautiful, and you ENJOY saving her.*  
  
"I do not enjoy saving her. She's a burden to my busy lifestyle."  
  
*And what would that busy lifestyle be?*  
  
"I have college essays to write, and a job to do, and... And I  
have many friends..."  
  
*Yeah, RIGHT. You don't have many friends. Except Odango Atama.*  
  
"Odango Atama is not my friend. She is an annoyance."  
  
*Will you stop talking to yourself already?!?!*  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Mamoru continued to drive through the torrential downpour, humming  
idly to himself. He leaned over and turned on the radio, hoping to catch   
some music.  
  
'The downpour will last several more hours, Glenn. I suspect  
there may be some flash floods throughout the rural areas. Now, back  
to the top five songs of the day...'  
  
Groaning, Mamoru slowly pressed on the brakes as the bus came  
to a red light. He turned the radio off. Great. More rain, and not  
to mention floods. This wasn't the way to start off his vacation.  
  
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and a flash of lightning lit  
up the night sky. The red light turned green again, and Mamoru hit   
the gas. Suddenly, the bus came to a screeching halt, skidding sideways  
a little. Mamoru let out a cry of surprise and jammed his foot down  
onto the brake, sending his car skidding to a stop. He felt the impact  
of his front bumper on the back of the bus, and he cursed fluently.   
All the lights on the bus had flickered out, and the screams of several  
young children cut through the thick air.  
  
Mamoru ripped his seatbelt off and pounded the steering wheel,  
looking around to see what might have caused the sudden halt. There  
were no other cars on the road but the bus and his little black  
sedan. He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head and opened the   
door, stepping out into the rain. The drops pounded against his body,  
and he could already feel the cold seeping through the thick wool of  
his coat. He made a mad dash for the bus, looking at the woodson  
either side of the road. His foot caught on a wayward branch,  
and he cried out as he stumbled a little. Regaining his composure, he  
started once again for the bus.  
  
Halfway there, his legs became extremely weak. In an instant,  
his mind was numbed with pain as he fell to his knees. A tingling  
sensation was running up and down his spine, and his lungs contracted  
and expanded irratically. Mamoru gasped for air, coming forward on his  
hands and knees on the wet ground. The rain still came, flooding his  
world and the images around him.   
  
What the hell was wrong?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Please, please, PLEASE wake up, Usagi..."  
  
The darkness disappeared as her eyes slowly opened. She didn't  
want to embrace the world quite yet, however. Usagi clamped her eyes  
shut tightly, moaning.  
  
"No, please, I don't want to go to school, Mom..." she murmered.  
  
The girl who was kneeling down on the ground beside her snorted.  
Rei pushed some hair behind her ear and leaned down a little more.  
  
"Meatball head, wake up. You're not going to school. We have  
to get out of this bus."  
  
*Bus? What bus? Did I fall asleep on the bus agai... Ohhh no...*  
  
The screaming of many children slowly told her where she was.   
And the intense pain in her arm told her why she had blacked out.  
  
Sitting up straight, Usagi screamed once more to let out her  
emotions. Rei reached forward and clamped a hand over Usagi's mouth,  
muffling the sound. It didn't really make that much of a difference,  
anyway. Every other teenager on the bus was shrieking madly.  
  
"Where the hell is the bus driver?" Rei yelled to Ami. Ami looked  
up from her seat at the tortured Usagi, and the brave Rei, who was now  
wrestling with the blonde to keep her hand on her mouth.   
  
"USAGI! Please, stop it! We have to remain calm!" Rei yelled   
over the clamor.  
  
Usagi finally wrenched Rei's hand off of her mouth, tears   
in her large, blue eyes. The pain was considerably less than what she  
had experienced earlier, but her arm stillfelt like it was crippled.   
Usagi moaned pathetically, letting out a sob. She cradled her arm like   
a mother soothing her young baby.  
  
Rei's expression quickly turned from one of anger to one of   
extreme pity. No matter how much Usagi annoyed her, Rei simply could  
not take it when her best friend was in any pain.   
  
"What's wrong, Usagi-chan?" she murmered.  
  
The small superhero's voice was shaky and uncertain, saturated  
with intense agony. "My arm... It hurts, so, SO much, Rei-chan."  
  
Rei nodded, looking desperately up at Ami. Ami came scurrying  
from her seat, sliding down on her knees in the middle of the aisle where  
Usagi lay. She slowly lifted Usagi's arm up, inspecting it carefully.  
  
"Ami-chan, that *hurts*..." Usagi moaned.  
  
Ami drew her breath sharply. "Gomen, Usa... One more moment,  
please. I just want to see what's wrong with your arm."  
  
Usagi nodded, biting her bottom lip. Makoto and Minako were now  
leaning over the bus seat, and the scene was also attracting some curious  
teenagers who had not gone mad when the bus stopped.  
  
Furrowing her eyebrows, Ami slowly lifted up Usagi's arm. What  
she found was incredibly surprising. The skin on Usagi's arm had turned  
extremely dry, and even raw. The curious thing was, it looked like it  
was... Glowing.  
  
"Usa..."   
  
Ami's statement was quickly interrupted by a loud, unusual noise  
coming from the front of the bus. It sounded like howling and grunting...  
  
"Oh... my... God..." Minako stuttered, pointing to the windshield.  
  
Ami turned her head around just in time to see the most hideous  
thing outside the front of the bus. A huge monster had perched itself  
on the engine hood, down on its claws and folded legs. It looked like  
a gargoyle... A mutated one. Unruly grey fur lined its body, and its  
head was small and goulish. Its eyes were piercing and bloody red. It  
lifted one mutilated claw up, banging it against the glass windshield.  
  
A collective scream was let out from the horrified children.  
Ami screamed and yelled to Rei to pick Usagi up. Rei quickly followed  
orders and swept Usagi up in her arms. Makoto filed to the back of the  
bus and turned the lock on the emergency door. She jarred it open,  
and with a quick look behind her, jumped outside. The rest of the Senshi,  
including Usagi in Rei's arms, scrambled to get out.  
  
"Get out of the bus! NOW!" Makoto screamed to the rest of the  
passengers. They didn't need a second opinion. At once, a mass of  
bodies struggled to get out any exit they could find. The warning came  
too late, however.  
  
The monster had thrust its giant claw through the windshield,  
shattering the glass. Fortunately, all the children on the front of the  
bus had filed to the back in hopes to get away from the beast. It   
entered the bus, its eyes moving over every child.   
  
"Acksale moan," it barked out, its voice shrill and high.   
  
"COME ON! Let's go!" Makoto shouted, helping the children down  
from the emergency exit.  
  
Usagi was sprawled out on the wet ground, moaning loudly. Rei  
was unable to quiet her down.  
  
"Ami! What the hell is that thing?" Rei shouted, holding onto  
Usagi's arms and pinning her down to the ground.  
  
Ami ran to the outside left side of the bus, slipping and sliding  
in the torrential downpour. She caught a glance at the monster, who was  
presently ripping out some bus seats... in search for something.  
  
"Oh no..." Ami murmered, thinking quickly. The monster was definetely  
NOT a friendly forest creature that just happened to be looking for a  
midnight snack.  
  
The beast continually made its way down the aisle, its red eyes   
alive with hunger. Ami choked her scream back and made a dash for the  
outside back of the bus once again, where the rest of the girls and   
Usagi were. She came to a halt, looking down at Usagi's raw arm.  
  
"Usa... The monster. Do you know what it is?" Ami asked softly,  
trying to contain her fear.  
  
Usagi slowly lifted her head from its resting position on the   
flooded ground. Her blue eyes reflected in the headlights of the parked  
car behind them, giving off every impression of fear... and courageousness  
at the same time. That's the one thing about Usagi that always kept her   
going. No matter what, she knew her friends would always be by her side,  
and she would give her life to defend them. Sure, sometimes she was a   
klutzy blonde that couldn't aim a moonbeam at an enemy for her life,  
but in her moments of brilliance, she shone like no other Senshi.  
  
"I know." Usagi looked down at her arm, more tears threatening   
to pour down her pale cheeks. She winced and tightly shut her eyes, trying  
to be brave for the rest of them. "It's a youma."  
  
Rei gasped, shaking her head quickly. It just couldn't be true!  
The Senshi hadn't encountered a youma for at least ten months. And why,  
of all nights, had Usagi decided to worry about Sailor Moon the night  
of an attack?  
  
"Your arm, Usagi-chan," Ami squatted down, placing a petite hand  
on Usagi's shoulder. "Do you remember what using the moon wand used to  
feel like?"  
  
Usagi gulped and nodded. "I remember." The moon wand was the   
most intense pain she had ever felt. And she had to go through it almost  
every other night a year ago. And now... Now the pain had returned.  
  
"The Negaverse..." Rei gasped, her voice shaking as the sounds of  
the youma ripping through the bus grew louder.  
  
Usagi gulped, looking down at her arm.  
  
"It's back."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Mamoru clung to consciousness with all his strength. The rain   
was drowning him. He spit out water, struggling to get to his feet.  
Something strange was overcoming him.   
  
And all at once, he felt satin envelop his arms and his legs.  
A tight white shirt formed around his chest and torso, dry and comforting  
to his soaked skin. But he knew the comfort would come at a price.  
  
He stood up, a single rose forming in his hand and a mask plastering  
itself over his hollow eyes.  
  
He was Tuxedo Mask.  
  
"It's back..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
That's it for Chapter two. Sorry it's taken quite a while...  
**sweatdrops** I've had many basketball tournaments lately. We sucked  
anyway... We're gonna win tonight!!! **cheers only to be drowned out  
by a basketball flying across the room and hitting her on the head**  
  
See ya next time...  
  
Ja ne! Luv luv!  
  
Ashura 


	3. Camp Days, Chapter 3

Camp Days, Chapter 3  
  
by Ashura  
  
Rated PG-13 for language  
  
JesseJames024@aol.com OR AshuraRose@ffonline.zzn.com  
  
  
Konnichiwa! **bows** Did I even spell that right? No matter...  
I'm ashamed of my knowledge of the Japanese language, although the creator  
of the most beautiful anime on earth IS, in fact, Japanese! **smacks  
herself** Gomen...  
  
Sorry it took so long to get out, kiddos. The Christmas season  
was a busy time for me. This may be a tad short, gomen.  
  
Note: I'm also not sure if the attacks in this thing are correct.  
Work with me, please, and don't bash me about it. Thanks!  
  
And now I would like to say something:  
  
"It picked me up with its mind powers and shook me like a dog!"  
  
Insanity is such a precious thing to waste.  
  
Hope you like it ^_^ E-MAIL ME!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Somebody save me..."  
  
She lay there, sprawled out on the ground, her hair surrounding  
her body like a battered shield. It was wet and sticking to her skin,   
chilling her to the bone. Her body was a broken rag doll, thrown on   
the ground and forgotten about. She felt abadoned. Who wouldn't?  
  
"Please, she's going to kill me..." Usagi whispered, feeling   
the rain splatter down on her face. She wanted to drown in this rain.  
  
"Usa, no one is going to kill you. What are you talking about?"  
  
Rei was kneeling down near her friend's frail body, her own  
ebony hair plastered against her face. She shook off the water and   
gazed down at Usagi with worry in her eyes.  
  
Usagi couldn't move a muscle. The pain that had been so intense  
in her arm had spread to her entire body. The thing was, that wasn't  
the thing she was afraid of the most.   
  
"Usagi-chan, I know you don't want to hear this... But we have  
to transform," Rei spoke slowly, pushing some of Usagi's golden hair   
away from her face, trying to find the hidden hero within her friend.  
  
Nothing more could be said. Usagi just slowly nodded. It just  
hurt so much...  
  
The wind blew fiercely as Rei gathered the other Senshi, who  
were in the process of rounding up the children. Makoto was carrying  
a six-year-old who was screaming her lungs out, attempting to quiet  
the little one down.   
  
Minako looked down at Usagi, wringing her hands. She bent down.  
"Usagi-chan, maybe you shouldn't transform."  
  
Ami whirled around. "Minako-chan! Of course she should transform!  
She has to! She's the backbone of the Senshi. She has the wand."  
  
"Does she still, though?" Minako asked, standing up. Sounds of  
the youma in the background were growing louder and closer to where  
the girls were gathering the children. A child clung to the side of  
Minako, begging her to keep her safe.   
  
Ami cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"  
  
Opening her mouth to say something, Minako was pushed aside by  
Makoto roughly. "It's been so long since we transformed... Will she  
still have the same powers? More importantly, will we?" Makoto  
snapped.   
  
A wayward piece of metal found its way across the street, skidding  
to a halt in front of Ami. Sparks ignited the pavement, and the once  
proud Sailor Mercury took a step back, fear evident in those usually  
strong eyes.  
  
She looked up. "How can you say that to me? After everything  
that has happened, you still doubt what we can do? And what the hell  
do you think we've worked for all these years?" The anger in her voice  
was disturbing, even to Ami herself. But it wasn't fair. Minako's worries  
couldn't just break down what Ami had taken so long to build up: a strong  
team of Senshi that would fight until the death.  
  
Minako wrung her hands, shaken at Ami's agressiveness. "Ami-chan,  
that's not what I meant. You know what I meant. What if Sailor Moon...  
suddenly isn't Sailor Moon anymore?"  
  
The creamy feel of the moonlight against her skin soothed Usagi  
as her friends bickered endlessly. The rain was no longer noticable, as  
her clothing and hair were firmly saturated with the feel of loneliness. And  
while Ami and Minako thought about what would happen to the Senshi if Usagi  
could not transform... Usagi thought about how *she* would feel if she  
*did* transform. And she lay there, crying out silently to them. Didn't  
they hear her? She was absolutely soaked in loneliness, and it got worse  
by the minute. And all the while, she remained motionless.  
  
"Usa, at least give it a damn try!" Rei's harsh voice broke through  
Usagi's silence.   
  
So Usagi slowly stood up, feeling the water rush off of her body.  
She rubbed her eyes, and the touch of her own skin scared her. Her own touch  
scared her...  
  
The scene was quite horrific in itself. The school bus lay around  
twenty yards away from the Senshi and the group of children. On top of  
that shattered bus crouched the youma, its eyes still alive with a fire  
unknown to humankind. What posessed the thing to rip, to tear, to end,   
still baffled many. The rain continued to pour.  
  
"How do we get away from the children?" Makoto asked, trying  
to gently pry a five-year-old off of her leg.  
  
"That's where they come in..." Ami murmered, holding her finger  
up to two teenagers who were standing amid the children, attempting to  
calm some of them down.  
  
Rei cocked her head. "What do they have to do with anything?"  
she spat.  
  
Both of these looked to be about thirteen, clad in CIT uniforms  
with whistles around their necks and fear in their eyes. The taller girl  
stood over two children, trying to regain her composure, but failing  
all the same. Her golden brown hair that was once pulled back tightly  
was cemented against her back and neck, and the raindrops that splattered  
on her face quickly mixed with tears. The child she was attending to  
cried out for his mother, and the other CIT bent down to try and soothe  
him. This girl had long, beautiful red hair that almost seemed untouched by  
the rain. Her hands shook violently as she ran her fingers through the   
little boy's hair.  
  
"They're our saviors... for the moment," Ami breathed, breaking  
into a dash. She ran over to the two girls and started to converse with  
them, using wild hand gestures.  
  
Minako bent her head sideways, absorbing the conversation. Rei  
pushed Minako slightly. "Minako-chan, what the hell are they doing?"  
  
Before Minako could answer, Ami nodded and ran back to the group.  
Rei pushed forward, grabbing Ami by the arm.  
  
"What the hell did you say to them? If you revealed us..." Rei  
threatened, her teeth clenched in anger.  
  
Knowing better than to pay attention to Rei when she was angry,  
Ami looked down at Usagi. "Usa, I asked those two CITs to help round  
up the children while we go transform." She paused for a second. "Will  
you come with us, then?"  
  
There was an inaudible reply from Usagi. Ami leaned forward,   
grabbing Usagi by the hand.  
  
"Usa! Tell me!" she demanded, her hands shaking from the cold  
of the rain.  
  
Usagi looked up, her eyes faraway. "Yes, I will."  
  
Ami half-smiled. "Yes! That's the spirit, Usa!" She delved into   
her skirt and came up with her old wand. Holding it up to the light  
of the moon, she examined it, running the smooth blue stone against her  
hands.   
  
The other Senshi looked at one another, and then back at Ami.  
Reluctantly, they all produced their old wands from somewhere on them.  
Whether it be in their purses, their skirts, or even in their undergarments,  
Rei, Minako and Makoto all found what they were looking for. Holding  
them up to the moonlight, they examined theirs like Ami had examined  
hers.  
  
Usagi found herself alone as the others marveled at what had been  
lost for so long. Her hands slowly found their way up her front to  
the brooch nestled in the bow on her shirt. She ran her fingers along  
the familiar intricate design. The feeling brought back many memories-  
the painful ones stood out in her mind. Usagi wanted so badly to come  
out alive from this ordeal, just to prove that she could go on living  
with Sailor Moon. She wanted to prove her own strengths.  
  
A blinding, multi-colored flash lit up the sky. Usagi's head  
quickly snapped up to find that her friends were no longer their. Where  
the hell had they gone? She began to look arouhd frantically, her mouth  
opening in a silent scream. There was another flash, and Usagi found  
that it was coming from behind several trees. A breath escaped her lips.  
They were transforming.  
  
Rei, Makoto, Minako, and Ami stepped out from their protective  
covering. They were no longer who they were five minutes ago. They  
were the Senshi- Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury.   
  
Minako looked at her gloves like they were long lost friends. She  
ran her fingers up and down the silky fabric, biting her bottom lip and  
smiling. She finally looked up at the other girls. "Minna! The Senshi  
are back!"  
  
Several cheers echoed, and the four Senshi ran towards Usagi, looking  
at her expectantly. Usagi hesitated, her hands shaking violently as she  
removed the brooch from her shirt and held it in front of her. She stared  
at it for what seemed like forever to the other girls.  
  
Rei finally reached foward. "Odango! Let's go!"  
  
With a small nod, Usagi shoved the brooch into the air, her voice  
small and barely audible above the rain.   
  
And then, it happened.   
  
Swirls of flourescent colors wrapped around the young girl's body  
like a second skin. Her hands moved in a motion that could only have  
been perfected over time. They moved gracefully and with a purpose, it  
seemed. The light that enveloped Usagi slowly began to form a silver  
uniform. A short blue pleated skirt wound its way around her slim   
waist, and a red bow popped into existence on her breast. Her feet  
were now booted in red leather. They slowly landed on the damp ground.  
  
Usagi didn't take any more time to think. She couldn't. For if  
she did, she would immediately realize that she had transformed again  
into Sailor Moon, and her normal life was gone. But what defined "normal"  
nowadays?  
  
She rushed forward, blotting out the cheers of her hopeful friends.  
She didn't notice the smiling faces of the small girls and boys, either.  
To them, she was a hero... But to herself, she was a failure. What  
strengths did she have besides her friends? Nothing, no one...  
  
"Usagi! Watch out! Stay back, dammit!" Rei shouted at her,  
dashing forward.  
  
Finally, Usagi got a grip of her senses. She stopped running,  
her footsteps splashing in the ever-growing puddles. Rei stopped next  
to her, her eyes afire with fury.  
  
"Odango! What the hell were you thinking?! We can't just...  
just *run* into battle like that..." Rei snapped as the other Senshi  
caught up.  
  
"I want to get this over with," Usagi muttered through her teeth,  
clenching her fists.  
  
"But that's no reason to jump headfirst into things!"  
  
Usagi closed her eyes defiantly, bending her head down. Rei was  
a whirlwind of emotions as she gripped Usagi by the shoulders, shaking  
the life out of her.  
  
"Listen to me!" Rei yelled.  
  
Usagi didn't hear what came next. In an instant, a flash of red  
light invaded her eyes. A powerful force pushed her backwards, and she  
found herself spread out on the wet ground once again. Opening her eyes,  
Usagi looked around at what had happened.  
  
A scream escaped her white lips. The ugly youma was standing over  
her, licking its furry lips. Usagi scrambled to get away, but the beast  
extended one powerful claw and gripped Sailor Moon's skirt, dragging her   
back. Usagi let out another ear-piercing scream and kicked the monster  
in the shins. It hardly flinched.  
  
"Rei, help me!" Usagi screeched.  
  
"Mars.... Fire.... Attack!"  
  
The youma howled in pain as its fur was suddenly aflame. Usagi  
scrambled up and retreated to behind the bus. She saw Rei standing behind   
a car that she hadn't noticed before, dishing out some deadly fire attacks.  
Usagi thanked her lucky stars and sprang out from behind her protection,  
shouting random words to get the youmas attention.  
  
"Hey! Bat-face! Over here!" she yelled. *Usa, what the (#*@!$#  
are you doing?! You don't have a plan...* she thought to herself. She  
felt her pulse race as the ugly beast turned its head towards her, grinning.  
Usagi gulped, feeling her body start to shake all over.  
  
"You have intervened with the lives of innocent danger and put  
them in trouble! Your actions will not go unpunished! I am Sailor Moon..."  
Usagi stopped. *I am Sailor Moon...* The words rang over again in her  
head, slowly driving her insane.   
  
Rei looked at her friend, opening her mouth to continue Sailor  
Moon's speech. "... S-she is Sailor Moon, and in the name of the Moon,  
she will destroy you!"  
  
Sailor Mercury drew a sharp breath. She knew what was coming...  
  
With a weak nod of thanks, Usagi took out her wand and slowly  
raised it in the air, pointing it at the youma.  
  
"I will... punish you..." she faintly whispered. Finally, her  
legs collapsed under her. She could take it no more...  
  
*I fell. I, Sailor Moon, fell. I wasn't even hit by the enemy,  
and I fell. I am pathetic. Everything I aspired to be, gone... Which   
wasn't much in the first place, but it was still there. I just wanted   
to be normal. And now that I had the chance to show my strength, it  
turns out I didn't have any in the first place. My strength was my friends,  
but they couldn't understand why I feel like this. I failed. I *fell*...*  
  
"You know, Sailor Moon, you may wake up now."  
  
Usagi's eyes popped open at the sound of a manly voice. And then  
she realized she was not laying face-down on the pavement, but enveloped  
in something warm... Very soft, and *extremely* warm, actually...  
  
She craned her neck upwards, looking to see where the heavenly  
warmth had come from.   
  
"Are you ready to fight?" Tuxedo Mask asked, the corners of his  
mouth slowly turning upwards.  
  
Usagi's jaw dropped. She was being cradled by the one and only  
Tuxedo Mask. His tophat was nowhere to be seen, and his dark ebony hair  
was wet and ruffled. He smiled a little, helping a shocked Usagi back  
to her feet.  
  
She stumbled once more before regaining a standing position. She  
couldn't think straight. Tuxedo Mask quickly held out his hands to steady  
her, but Usagi backed away, picking up the moon wand that had caused her  
demise.  
  
Her masked savior smirked a little. "You're quite articulate,  
you know."  
  
Usagi's cheeks burned as she adjusted the curvature of her spine,  
making sure she didn't look like a coward. "I'm quite all right, thank  
you very much." She adjusted her oh-so-short skirt, expecting to see  
his eyes trailing her hands, like any male pig. When she looked up, she  
saw his eyes still steadily locked on hers.   
  
Silently cursing, she moved forward. "Long time no see. We ready  
to get started?" she almost snapped.  
  
He didn't answer. His blue eyes were directed at something behind  
her. For the smallest moment, Usagi cursed the thing that was drawing  
his attention from her. Even if it was the youma. She wanted his eyes  
on *her*, for some reason she just couldn't explain. Usagi opened  
her small lips to make a comment, but before the words escaped her mouth,  
Tuxedo Mask's hand went up. She quickly clenched her jaw shut.  
  
His eyes slowly came down to her level again. Usagi gulped a little.  
There was so much in his stare she couldn't distinguish or break down.  
She could usually look into a person's eyes and decipher their feelings,  
but it was like an iron curtain seperated his mind from hers. She hated  
the feeling.  
  
"I'm ready. I wonder if yo are, though..." Tuxedo Mask said a little  
bladly, taking a step to the side. Usagi raised a single eyebrow and turned  
around to see the youma charging towards them. With a yelp of  
distinguished surprise, she threw herself to the side just in time. The  
monkey-youma stampeded past them. It skidded to a halt at the last   
possible moment and swung around, its large wings spread and its  
nostrils flaring.  
  
Sailor Moon let out another short scream and stumbled to her  
feet, grasping the moon wand like her life depended on it.   
  
With a powerful jump, Tuxedo Mask ascended to the top of the bus.  
He crouched down and watched the Senshi all come running towards Usagi,  
his eyes slowly fogging over. All her little friends to come running  
to help her... Typical Sailor Moon. He grimaced as he thought of the  
other Sailor Scouts. They would die to save Sailor Moon. In a way, it   
wasn't fair. *He* was supposed to save her. And when *he* needed saving,  
who was there? No one but himself. Who would save him from himself...?  
  
"Sailor Moon! Watch out!" he called down from the bus top as  
the youma made another charge at her. At that moment, Sailor Mars  
let out a stream of fire attacks, surrounding the ugly monster with   
licking flames. It was just enough for Sailor Moon to scramble out  
of the way. Tuxedo Mask chuckled to himself. No matter how perilous,  
Sailor Moon had always found *some* way to make a fight amusing. She  
didn't have much coordination, but she could scramble out of the way  
like no one else could.  
  
Back on the ground level, Sailor Jupiter rougly pushed Sailor   
Moon out of the way. A large bolt of lightning sounded, followed by  
a holler of pain from the youma. It retaliated with a well-placed  
kick in Jupiter's stomach. She groaned and fell over backwards as Sailor  
Moon hurried to catch her.  
  
Sailor Moon looked down at her. "Jupiter! You all right?"   
  
Makoto looked up at Usagi through angry eyes. "Sailor Moon, at  
least *try* to be a little more careful where you step!"   
  
Usagi grimaced. Jupiter pushed herself up from her arms and steadied  
herself. The both of them watched Minako dodge several attacks as she  
tried to distract the youma. Sailor Mercury hurriedly typed in several  
commands in her mini-computer, her eyes following the youma as it barreled  
towards her.  
  
Sailor Moon moaned as she dashed over to Mercury, shoving her  
down to the ground. Mercury hit the cement with a *bump* and let out  
a cry. She stared impatiently down at Usagi.  
  
"Sailor Moon, I think I can handle this," she said between clenched  
teeth.   
  
Usagi's lower lip curled down in a frown. "Sorry, Mercury..."  
  
Mercury pushed herself up from the ground, looking around for the  
youma. When she found that she couldn't find it, she groaned. "Great..."  
  
Another burst of flame flickered through the wet night air as the  
rest of the Senshi turned around to find the monster creeping up from  
behind. Sailor Mars had noticed its strategy just in time.   
  
"Mars Fire Attack!" she hollered, sending another line of fire  
towards the youma. It screeched as some of its ugly fur caught on fire.  
It flapped its wings rapidly, trying to extinguish the flames.  
  
"Ha! We got it now! Jupiter, give it a little static shock!"  
Mars shouted, a smile pulling at the edges of her mouth.   
  
Jupiter nodded and raised her hands. "Thunder... Dragon!" In  
a flash of bright light, a bolt of electricty descended from the sky  
and crashed into the monster, compelling a horrifying scream from it once  
again. It stumbled backwards.  
  
Sailor Mercury looked up from her computer. "Sailor Moon! Put  
on the finishing touches!"  
  
Usagi nodded, taking the wand out from behind her back. She looked  
at her friends with lost eyes. Why weren't they listening to her silent  
pleas? Couldn't they see what she was going through? After all this time,  
the only use she had in the group was to put on the "finishing touches."  
That was it. There was no glory in that, was there?  
  
She looked up at Tuxedo Mask on last time. He was still perched,  
half-hidden on the top of the beaten bus. She scrunched her nose up  
as she watched him. Why was he there?? Couldn't he just not be here  
and not matter all the same??  
  
"SAILOR MOON!"  
  
Sailor Moon whipped her head around, and there was a flash of  
red and bright white. She was blinded. Her nerves exploded in pain  
as she was pushed backwards.   
  
Another scream was heard somewhere, and a rush of air was felt  
besides her. In another instant, she felt the protective arms of Tuxedo  
Mask around her. They were his arms. DAMMIT, his arms were around her!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Sailor Moon... Please wake up."  
  
She opened her eyes. Where had she been? She had just experienced  
the most awful dream... She had been in a fight with a youma, and she  
couldn't stand on her own. Her friends had pushed her away when she  
tried to help, and all that she was good for was to "finish it off..."  
  
"The youma is knocked out. We need you to finish it off, though,  
Sailor Moon," a deep manly voice stated from above her.  
  
Usagi looked up. She was lying down on the pavement, the rain  
still coming down around her. This was the exact spot she had been less  
than two hours ago. She hadn't made a difference since then...  
  
She sat up. The children that had been on the bus were huddled   
on the side of the road. It looked like Mars had conviently lit a fire  
for them.   
  
"You ready?" Tuxedo Mask asked, his tall figure stooping down to   
help her up.  
  
Sailor Moon didn't take his hand. She slowly got up by herself.  
There were multiple burns on the front of her dress and skirt, and the skin  
on her arms stung fiercely. She brushed off her skirt and looked at the  
other Senshi, who all had their arms crossed and were staring impatiently  
at her. She forced a smile and strode over to the unconscious youma,  
who was lying about ten feet away from them.  
  
Drawing out her moon wand, she muttered several chants under her  
breath. The silver wand began to glow brightly... And in another instant,  
there was nothing left of the youma. Its remains glittered in the moonlight,  
but were soon washed away by the ever-pouring rain.  
  
The superhero turned around, expecting to see the Senshi and Tuxedo  
Mask all smiling at her.  
  
He was gone.  
  
The others had not even noticed she had finished the youma off.  
They were all over at the other end of the road, helping the children up.  
  
Usagi's face burned a bright red. An indescribable hatred filtered  
through her veins at that instant. Her fists clenched, and she forced  
her eyelids shut.  
  
"TUXEDO MASK, DON'T YOU RUN AWAY FROM ME AGAIN!"  
  
Her shout echoed through the woods. Every person near her stopped  
what he or she was doing. The Senshi all stared at her unbelievingly,  
their eyes wide and surprised. The children didn't move a muscle.  
  
It seemed that all sound had stopped. Even the rain. Sailor Moon  
couldn't even hear it any more. All she heard was the sound of her  
own voice echoing in her head. It sounded... different.  
  
She ran blindly to the edge of the bus, gasping for breath. She  
stopped and looked up into the sky. Her breaths were the only thing she  
heard.  
  
"DON'T RUN AWAY! I know you're out there! Stop running away  
from me! You're always here to do one thing, then you're gone, and then  
*YOU* get the glory! Goddammit, just stay and DON'T LEAVE!" she screamed  
into the darkness. She wasn't even sure what she was doing anymore.  
  
"Just tell me that you think I can do it! I KNOW THAT YOU CAN'T  
THINK I CAN DO IT, TUXEDO MASK! I know you think I'm a failure! And...  
I know... And I know that you hate saving me, and I know that you are  
just here to get GLORY! SO JUST DON'T RUN AWAY!"  
  
The rain kept pounding. A distinct form hit the ground, and the   
sound echoed through the wood. It was so loud, even the rain stopped  
for it.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End of Chapter 3! Thank goodness!  
  
This chapter 3 completed the 2nd of February, 2002. It's winter  
ball today... I get to dress up pretty. **grins**  
  
Next chapter should be out shortly.  
  
E-MAILS, PLEASE! Even if it's just to yell at me for not  
getting this out soon enough!  
  
Ja ne! Luv luv!  
  
*~*~Ashura~*~* 


	4. Camp Days, Chapter 4

Camp Days, Chapter 4  
  
Rating: PG-13 for language and inuendo (... i love that word. Say  
it with me... inueeeeendo)  
  
JesseJames024@aol.com   
OR AshuraRose@ffonline.zzn.com  
  
Author: Ashura  
  
Goooood evening! Or morning, depending on when you're reading  
this. Guess what?! (I'll leave you in waiting for the next part...  
3... 2... 1...) It's my birthday today! February 9th. Oh baby, I'm  
almost an adult.   
  
Well, screw that. How is everyone? Feeling fine, I hope? I  
saw the Count of Monte Cristo yesterday. Damn good movie. I would  
recommend it to all. Wanna say hi to Iny and Emmy... and Sushi! Hiya!  
**waves a little**   
  
I just realized I'm going nowhere with this, so here begins the  
4th Chapter of Camp Days. Enjoy!  
  
**shakes her maracas** E-mail me...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 4  
  
  
He heard her, all right. He heard her loud and clear. Her   
hollers penetrated the damp night air like a knife through darkness.  
With every word that escaped her lips, he gripped himself tighter. Each  
syllable was a whip against his back, and he uttered an almost inaudible  
moan.   
  
"... SO JUST DON'T RUN AWAY!"  
  
He grimaced and inhaled his last breath sharply. Tuxedo Mask was  
perched atop a nearby tree, watching the scene from above. The children  
were slowly filing back into the bus, and the Senshi were starting to   
disappear into the woods. The only one left on the rain-beaten road  
was Sailor Moon.  
  
Her creamy blonde hair was wrapped around her bruised body, restricting  
any type of movement she took. She attempted to un-peel the strands of  
hair from her skin, but there were just too many. The girl just finally  
gave up and started to follow her friends into the woods to transform back  
to Usagi...  
  
His eyes followed her every movement. This was the first time  
he had really *looked* at her since the fight began... It just hit him  
that she was a beautiful human being. Even in all of her sorrow and her  
matted hair, and despite the fact that she was known for her clumsiness,  
she moved with surprising grace. Was the ditziness just an act?  
  
Mamoru was surprised at his own thoughts. He slowly came down  
off of his haunches and leaned against the trunk of the tree. The water  
penetrated his dark suit and stung with coldness on his back. He really  
didn't notice anymore. All he could think about...  
  
Why was she suddenly so defiant? He had never had a problem with  
her before. Sailor Moon had always needed saving, Tuxedo Mask was always  
there to be the strong, masculine hero and save her. It was really that   
simple. And now, when he thought he had it all figured out, it was   
complicated. Everything in his life was so damn complicated nowadays.  
Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to be normal...  
  
The rain slowly died down, and the moon resurfaced from the   
cloud blankets. He stood from his crouching position in the tree and   
looked out over the horizon. He wished he could touch the horizon...  
Ever so slowly, his hand reached up in front of him and tried to grasp  
whatever was out there. He wanted a place in life... Maybe the horizon  
in life could offer him that. He remained unsure as he slowly disappeared  
into the woods, away from the moon.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Rrrrrrrr....  
  
Plop.  
  
Rrrrrrrr....  
  
Plop.  
  
Ruffle.  
  
Rrrrrrr....  
  
She was going insane. The conclusion was reached subtly and easily.  
And although the soft pillow was still against her cheek, it was if  
her senses refused to recognize it. Her senses refused to recognize  
anything that night. It was a heavy 3:43 in the morning, and while  
the four warm masses beside her were soundly asleep, Usagi couldn't rid  
herself of any of the images of the night.  
  
The soft sound of the engine of the bus calmed her down a little.  
Usagi had detransformed in the woods and followed the other speechless  
Senshi back to the bus. She could tell they were shocked.   
  
*They're shocked because poor little Usa has never screamed her  
heart and soul out before...* a little voice inside her head told her.  
Usagi nodded, confirming her own thoughts. Of course. The girls had  
always been used to the rantings and ravings of the Odangoed-One... But  
it was always over petty things, like a poor grade or a little sibling.  
It had never been like this.   
  
The Senshi had thought the same thing right before they went to   
sleep. This uncovering of the inner Usagi was... disturbing. Even  
frightening. Her screams had been created from the inner depths of her   
soul... And it scared them. They had never seen this side of her before.  
  
And so here Usagi lay, listening to the "plop" of teardrops  
against her bus seat and the ruffle of the girls sleeping next to her.  
Every so often, she would lift her head full of wet, scraggly blonde  
hair to look out the window. Where was Tuxedo Mask now? Had he heard  
her when she opened the floodgate of emotions? A part of her wanted  
the man to hear, and a part of her wanted him to have been far, far away...  
  
The bus continued to roll along the forested road, and Usagi's  
eyelids began to droop. The activity of the night had taken its toll  
on her, and fatique enveloped her.  
  
She finally slipped off into a dreamworld of hollow laughs  
and mystery men. And she was haunted by the roses that lay in her way...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"One more..."  
  
"One more what?"  
  
"Dammit, Mina-chan, just give it to me!"  
  
"All right, all right already! Which one?"  
  
"The blue one is nice."  
  
Pause. "Thank you for your input, Ami."  
  
"Anytime."  
  
"Can we just get this over with?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
The dark-haired girl slowly leaned over the small mass of golden  
hair. This was a devious plan, yes. It was even dangerous, considering  
what Usagi would do to them all when she awoke.  
  
"How many do you think we can fit up there?" a nervous Makoto asked,  
wringing her hands. She was seated in the adjacent bunk bed, watching  
with anxiety.  
  
Rei bit her bottom lip. She was in a very precarious position.  
She was kneeling over the sleeping form of the Odangoed-One, her legs  
straddling the wee one's body.   
  
"Rei-chan, do you know how bad this looks?" Ami whispered, huddled   
in the corner of the cabin.  
  
Rei let out a giggle. "Yes, I know how bad this looks... Mina,  
you have the camera?"  
  
"Check," Mina allowed.  
  
"Okay then, girls, I'm going in..."   
  
Rei slowly leaned down, and taking the last three swizzle sticks   
she had in her collection, deftly placed them up Usagi's nose.  
  
With that, the four girls lept off of the bunks and made a dash  
for the doorway. The sound of the clicking of a camera echoed off the  
wooden walls, and a flash lit the morning air.  
  
"Five... four... three..." Makoto counted.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHRR!!!"  
  
"It's early! EVERYONE OUT!" Rei screamed, and the four girls  
fought to shove themselves out of the doorway.  
  
Usagi had awoken.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
The familiar sound of the 'crunch crunch' under his sneakers   
comforted the man. He inhaled deeply, and the fresh mountain air  
invaded his senses. He felt every nerve in his body slowly unwind and   
relax. *So that's all I needed...* he thought, delving his hands into  
his short pockets.   
  
Mamoru slowly made his way towards the main cluster of cabins.  
He had arrived at around 4 o'clock in the morning, and his eyelids  
were heavy with fatigue. The camp leader had allowed him to sleep in  
due to the events of the night. It was all over the news by now.  
'Sailor Moon and the Senshi return to crime-fighting once more as a  
youma attacks a busload of innocent children last night...' The sounds  
of the television shoving these words into his head gave him an   
unbearable migraine.   
  
*Don't run away from me...*  
  
Whispers filled the woods as he turned a sharp corner. He  
stopped short of a tall tree and closed his eyes, letting his other  
senses take over. Mamoru strained his ears to hear whatever was out   
there... *It's just your imagination, don't have a fit,* a voice inside  
Mamoru's brain explained. This was a sound enough rationalization for  
him, and he continued once more down the path.  
  
*You're in it for the glory...*  
  
His heart jumped into his throat again. The eyes that had seen  
so much scanned the forested surroundings. What the hell was happening?  
Surely, there could be no one near him. All the campers should be   
assembled in the village by now. He was the late one. Shaking his head  
violently, Mamoru calmed himself down. He was traumatized, that was all.  
Last night had been an extremely harrowing experience. The return of  
Tuxedo Mask into his life was almost more than he could handle. But he  
had known the day would come when the masked man inside of him would  
come out once more. He had just been waiting. It was, however, unfortunate  
that he had to reappear the week of his counseling at camp. Unfortunate...  
Mamoru wasn't sure if that was exactly the right word.  
  
Because then again, there had been Sailor Moon. She had finally  
come back to him... But wait, hadn't she rebuked him? A shiver went down  
his spine as he walked. The yelling had been a horrific awkening.  
How would he approach her in future fights? And where the hell had she  
come from, in the middle of nowhere? Things were too complicated.  
They were too complicated for his week off.  
  
Sounds of children started to filter through the shrubbery.  
Mamoru looked up, and the village was just in sight. The village consisted  
of the ten or twenty cabins that made up the camp grounds and the mess   
hall and lounge. Dots of light blue were scattered around the small  
log houses. The uniform of the average camper was a baby blue tee  
and jean shorts. The counselors wore dark blue tees and any kind of  
shorts.  
  
Mamoru stepped off the path and onto the gravel of the campgrounds.  
He took a quick look around. Everyone was assembling in front of the mess  
hall.  
  
"PYRO! I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR SORRY LITTLE ASS!"  
  
Now *that* was a rude awakening for poor little Mamo. Unsuspecting  
of what was about to befall him, he stumbled backwards as four blurs  
shot past him.  
  
It took a moment for the man to take everything in. In fact,  
it took more than a moment. Four giggling girls shoved themselves into  
the crowd of campers. Several choice words filled the air as another  
young girl scampered out of a cabin, her golden hair flowing behind her.  
She looked absolutely enraged. And, if Mamoru wasn't mistaken, there  
were several glass rods shoved up her nose.  
  
She reached up and ripped them out. Smoke was almost visible,  
pouring from her ears. Her red face only added to the humor of the scene.  
  
"GET BACK HERE!" she screeched. The camper resumed scampering  
across the village, only stopping when she reached the crowd of people  
assembled in front of the mess hall.  
  
Mamoru could have killed himself. His hands clenched and   
unclenched in utter fury. It couldn't be. It just couldn't. He was  
having a dream. Yes, that was it. A very LONG dream. The whispers in  
the woods, the youma on the bus, the sight of screaming children, the  
screams of a desperate girl... it was all a dream.   
  
But he just *had* to make sure...  
  
"Odango."  
  
It was a quick three syllables. But it sent the girl's world  
crashing down on her.  
  
Her shoulder tensened, and her neck somehow magically shrunk.  
She fisted her little hands, and ever so slowly, turned herself around  
until her dazzling blue eyes were set on the man that was the epitome  
of evil.  
  
"Chiba."  
  
Mamoru raised a single eyebrow, effectively covering his surprise.  
Not surprise at seeing Usagi at camp, but surprise at himself. For when  
she had turned those large, ocean eyes on him, he had actually felt   
himself grow *hot* under his t-shirt. He had never realized it, but  
she was quite an attractive young woman.   
  
*Mamo, you're fawning over ODANGO. GET A GRIP!*  
  
The man quickly shook his head, snapping himself out of his daze.  
He let the age-old smirk slide across his face.  
  
"How nice to see you here. I am, however, afraid to ask what the  
hell you, of all people, are doing at a camp." He let the words dangle  
off of his tongue, trying to sound as cynical as possible.  
  
Usagi was speechless. Here, she had just encountered the very  
thing she had run away from. The devil himself. Had he tracked her down?  
Did her Creator purposely have it in for her? It was a dream. A very  
LONG dream...  
  
"I'd like to ask you the same question, Mamoru-san," she said  
out of the corner of her mouth. Ah, mock respect. That should get his  
temper running.  
  
"Usagi! Where did you go... oh..."  
  
Minako had just emerged from the crowd, a large grin still  
plastered on her face. But when she saw who was presently staring her  
Usagi down, her face showed a range of emotions. The other girls   
slowly appeared behind her, and their little jaws dropped.   
  
"Oh... Oh dear..." Minako slowly whispered, bringing her hands  
up to her mouth. She then began to slowly bite her fingernails.  
  
Usagi didn't notice them. In fact, she didn't notice anything  
else around her besides the man that was gracing her presence. *No, no...  
this can't be possible.* She heard her breaths in her ears and her  
heart pounding out an erratic rhythm. It was too much. Her bruised  
body couldn't take anymore. She had fallen asleep on the bus ride,  
and somehow she found herself lying on a bunk in a cabin. Someone must  
have carried her from the bus to her new bed.   
  
And waking up to three objects shoved up your nose was *not* a  
good think in Usagi's book. Her eyelids slowly relieved her sore eyes  
of their pain, and she reached up and placed a hand on her forehead.  
  
"I don't have time for this..." she whispered aloud, not bothering  
to open her eyes and look at Mamoru once more.  
  
The man opened his mouth to make a snide comment, but nothing  
came out. This wasn't Usagi he was talking to. She always had a mean  
comeback. This morning, however, she seemed unconcerned. His eyes  
started to run up and down her body. Her skin was covered in dark bruises,  
and her little shoulders were sulking. She was attempting to be defiant  
and proud, but it was futile. He could see something in her eyes...  
Was it defeat? He couldn't be sure. But defeat to what? Nothing  
that bad must be happening in her life... Unless he deeply underestimated  
her...  
  
"Do you think I ever have time for this?" he snapped, letting  
an inner hatred suddenly surge forward.  
  
The blonde didn't raise her head. Had she heard him? She didn't  
give any signs that she did. Maybe he should try again...  
  
"Odango, do you..."  
  
"I know you have many better things to do, Mamoru. So leave me  
be and go do them," Usagi interrupted, her whisper low and pained.  
  
Mamoru looked at the other girls. He became enraged again as  
he saw all four of them grinning a little. It was just then that it hit  
him. If he had better things to do when he was talking to Odango...  
then why in the hell was he talking to her in the first place?  
  
His realization hit him point-blank in the forehead. Backing up  
a little, he made eye contact with Usagi for the last time. She looked  
lost. He gulped and nodded, turning around and starting to walk towards  
the other group of counselors.  
  
The breath she had been holding in for so long finally drained  
from her lungs. The sound of teenagers and children scurrying about her  
invaded her ears, and dropping her hands from her chest, she turned around  
to stare blankly at the four other girls.  
  
They just stood there. Minako was the first to step forward.  
She nervously pushed her blonde hair behind her ear and approached Usagi,  
placing her hands on her shoulders.  
  
"Usagi, maybe you should get some more rest," she said softly,  
looking down at her shoes.  
  
The others suddenly felt a guilt trip press down on their   
consciences. The girls had thought that the little wake-up call would  
have cheered the fallen Sailor Moon from the previous evening... But  
they thought wrong, apparently. Usagi looked horrible. Her hair was  
matted, and the bags under her eyes were accented by a small bruise on   
her cheek. She looked positively beaten.  
  
Nevertheless, Usagi managed to force a smile out of her misery.  
Minako sighed, and Makoto walked up and took Usagi's hand.  
  
"Let's get you back to bed... Last night was extremely tough..."  
she soothed, trying to force some of Usagi's hair back into their odangoes.  
  
Much to their surprise, Usagi didn't budge. She looked up at   
them in all of her ragedness and gave them another smile.  
  
"No. Let's get me dressed and join the activities, ne?"  
  
Pause. "Usagi, what the HELL has gotten into you?" Rei finally  
broke the tension. "Okay, you need to do some explaining. You are  
acting really, really, really different, Usa..."  
  
Usagi's eyebrows shot up. "Wow, Rei, I don't think I'm the one  
being weird. That's the first time you've addressed me without the word  
'Meatballs'..."  
  
Giggles erupted amongst the best friends, and Usagi broke away  
from the group. She skipped to the cabin she had been resting in, not   
looking back at the girls.  
  
She didn't want them to see her tears.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Andddddddddd... EXACTLY ONE MONTH LATER, Chapter 4 is finished! March  
9th, 2002. Damn, that was short.  
  
Enjoy, I have to go be a pirate. Don't ask. Love you all, e-mail me...  
  
Ja!  
  
~~Ashi~~ 


End file.
